Automatic supervisory signaling system



Nov. 10,1925. 1,561,234

R. M. HOPKINS AUTOMATIC SUPERVISORY SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 17, 1915 Gafe PEHveLoop 9,7 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD M. HOPKINS, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN DIS- TRICT TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC SUPERVISORY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed September 1'7, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RroHARD M. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rutherford, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Supervisory Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof.

This invention relates to supervisory signaling systems especially applicable to sprinkler or other water supply installations designed as a protection against fire, and

1 more particularly to electric signaling systems for such installations. The invention is also applicable to the fire exits of a building to show at all times whether such exits are in proper working condition; it is also applicable to the doors, windows, etc. of a building to show their condition as a protection against burglary. It may also be ap plied to other elements whose condition it may be desirable to supervise. The system' is especially, though not exclusively, adapted to be applied locally in a building or buildings existing as a separated local unit. Its general purpose, as a whole, is to provlde an efiicient arrangement whereby any change in the service condition of the sprinkler or other water supply installation, or of the doors and windows, etc. of a building or other elements to be supervised, will be locally indicated to a central station, such as the office of the local supervisor or person in charge, and

whereby the particular locality in the installation or building where such change has occured will also be indicated, with the result that the installation or other elements to be supervised may be kept at all times in a high state of efficiency.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a suitable recorder as a part of the system whereby changes in the supervised elements may be permanently recorded and preferably also the time when such changes occur. The recorder may be variously con stituted and operated. It may be, and pref erably is manually controlled and it may be and preferably is, so arranged that when operated it records both the trouble and O. K. or safe condition of any supervised element. And it may be, and preferably is, so arranged that a record may be made of Serial No. 254,415.

parts of the sprinkler installation. In the drawing, three of such branch circuits or loops are shown. The upper one bearing the legend Gate valve loop extends tothe' varlous gate valves of the sprinkler installation. The next circuit loop extends to devices in the installation responsive to variations of the water pressure and bears the legend- Pressure loop. The next circuit loop extends to devices in the installation associated with the various tank floats and bears the legend Gravity loop.

3 is a signal, preferably an audible signal, such as a bell, connected in a local circuit with a battery 4, such circuit being indicated by the wires 5 and 6. The wire 5 is connected with a contact 7 movable between contacts 8 and 9. Wire 6 is connected with fixed contacts 12 and 14 of aswitch 10 whose movable contact rests normally on the, contacts 11 and 12 and is adapted to be moved over to connect contacts 13 and 14. The switching device consisting of the contacts 7 8 and 9 is controlled by an electromagnet 15 in the circuit of the gate valve loop.

For this purpose, its pivoted armature 16' carries an-arm 17 which actuates the con-,

tact 7. When the magnet 15 is energized to draw up its armature 16, the arm 17 movesdown and permits the contact 7 to make connection with the contact 9. This is'the position of the parts shown in the drawing. hen the magnet 15 is deenergized, its armature 16 drops and the arm 17 moves up, thereby throwing contact 7 into connection with contact 8. Armature 16 carries a visual signal 18 and the magnet and associated switching device are preferably enclosed within a box having an opening through which the signal 18 is visible when magnet 15 is deenergized.

19 is one of the gate valves of the sprinkler installation. Associated with it is apair of contacts --20. l Vhen the gate valve is open and its stem elevated, contacts 20 are electrically connected, as shown in the drawing. When the gate valve is closed and its stem lowered, contacts 20 are electrically disconnected. In the preferable arrangement, as shown in the drawing, the gate valve loop is normally closed and the gate valves are all open to permit a free flow of water.

Instead of employing the contacts 20 to effect a break in the gate valve loop and thereby 'dee-nergize magnet 15, as might be done, it is preferable to throw in an added resistance when these contacts are opened and thereby deenergize magnet 15, employing this added resistance tooperate a local signal -to indicate the {position of the gate valve. This arrangement is shown in the drawing, the added resistance being in the form of an e1ect-romagnet21 connected with contacts 20. When these contacts are opened, magnet'21 is energized and its armature 22 is drawn up thereby lowering the indicatordrop -23. lVhen thegate valve 19 is open, therefore, the position of the indicator drop will indicate this fact. When the gate valve is closed, the position of the indicator drop will indicate that the gate valve is closed. The various gate valves to besupervised are all associated with thegate valve loop and all are preferably provided with devices similar to thoseassociated with valve '19.

Contact 8 is connected by wires 24 and 25 with contact 11 of switch 10 and contact 9 is connected by wires 26 and 27 with contact 13 of switchlO. Contactsl2 and Hot switch 10 are connected with wire 6. Switch 10 normally connects contacts 11 and 12 and may be thrown to connect contacts 13 and 14.

\Vhen a gate valve, such as 19, is closed, its contacts 20 will be opened to include in the circuit the magnet '21 whose added resistanceto the circuit deenergizes magnet 15, thereby setting signal 18 and closing contacts 7 and '8. This closes the circuit .of signal 3, normally open, at contacts 7 and 8, and causes-the'signal 3 to indicate danger or give a call indication as by ringing a bell. This circuit is as follows; from battery 4, through bell 3, avire 5, contacts -7 and 8, wires 24 and 25,-contacts 11 and 12 of switch 10 and wire G-backto battery. Thisdraws the supervisors attention and by signal 18 he is able to observe that the signal has been transmitted from 'the gate valve loop which -is thereupon inspected to determine the location of the gate valve from which the signal has beentransmitted. The :indicator drop 23, or other signal associated with the gate valve, having dropped, facilitates the inspection of the gate valves.

As soon as the supervisor-issues the order to inspect the gate valves, he throws the switch 10 over to the left, thereby disconnecting the wire-6 from contact 11 and connecting it with contact 13. This breaks the circuit through 3 and its danger or call indication ceases. *Gontac't 13 is connected by wires 27 and26 with contact'9. Hence, when the particular gate valve from which the signal has been transmitted has been opened to again energize magnet 15 and close contacts 7 and 9, the circuit of signal 3 gives a second call indication to inform the supervisor :that the gate valve has been opened and that the gate valve loop and signal 18 has been restored to normal condition. Thereupon he returns the switch 10 to its normal position making connection with contacts 11 and 1.2, cutting out-signal 3 and restoring everything to normal. It will be observed that switch 1O acts to cut in and out certain of the contacts of switching device 7, 8 and 9 to thereby control the call indication of signal 3 or such other signaling means'asanay be employed in lieu thereof.

Associated with the ,pressure loop is an electromagnet 28 which controls signal 29 and switchingdevice 30-similar to the magnet 15 and its associated devices. The switching device30 is connected with wires 5 and '6 in the same way as contacts 7, 8, 9 and is associated with a hand-switch 31 similar to switch 10. The pressure loop is also provided at each pressure device with normally closed contacts 32 and other devices similar to those associated with gate valve 19.

With respect to the pressure loop, the signal 29 is shown in ts trouble indicating position. This-has been caused by the opening of contacts 32 resulting in the inclusion of magnet 33 in the-circuit, the dropping of its indicator drop and the deenergization of magnet '28, all as shown. Switch 31 is shown as having been thrown to cut out signal 3after its indication was received. The gravity loop 'is provided and associated with devices similar to those already described including a switching device 34.

The; super-vised'pressure devices associated with the .pressure loop :and the supervised tank fioat devices associated with the gravity loop are of well known construction and their details are omitted from the drawings, for the sake of clearness and brevity.

In the preferred arrangement, as shown, the supervisory circuits are normally closed. This has the advantage that any failure of current in these circuits or break in a circuit wire or connection will cause an alarm indication at the supervisors office, as by signals 3 and 16.

Referring now-to the recorder, 35 is the arborof a clock mechanism such as that on which the'clock hands are mounted. Removablymounted on this arbor and turning therewith is an impression sheet 36, in the form of a circular card on whose periphery are marked the hours of the day. 37 is an impression tool which may be of any character suitable to make an impression on the sheet, as for example, one which is designed to punch a hole in the sheet. It is operated by an impression magnet 38 connected in a circuit wire 39 one of whose ends is connected with wire 24 and the other of whose ends terminates in contact 40 adapted to make connection with contact 41 of a manually operated switch 47. Contact 41 is connected with wire 5 and is normally in closed relation with contact 42 connected with wire 6. 43 is an impression tool, similar to tool 37, operated by impression magnet 44 which is included in circuit wire 45. This wire is connected at one end to wire 26 and at its other end terminates in contact 46 adapted to close with contact 41.

Thus it will be seen that the circuit of impression magnet 38 is normally open at contacts 7 and 8 whereas the circuit of impression magnet 44 is normally closed at contacts 7 and 9. It, therefore, contact 41 should be pushed down into connection with contacts 40 and 46 one or the other of these magnets would be energized to record an impression on the sheet 36. If the circuits of these impression magnets are closed at switch 47, when magnet 15 is deenergized and contacts 7 and 8 are closed due to trouble in the gate valve loop, the circuit of magnet 38, which may be called the trouble circuit will be closed to record trouble on sheet 36, circuit of magnet 44 remaining open at contacts 7 and 9. If, on the other hand, these circuits are closed at switch 47 when magnet 15 is energized and contacts 7 and 9 are closed due to want of trouble in the gate valve loop, the circuit of magnet 44, which may be called the O. K. circuit, will be closed to record on sheet 36 safety or O. K. condition of the gate valve loop, the trouble circuit of magnet 38 being open at contacts 7 and 8.

Impression tools 37 and 43 may be variously arranged to make records that may be readily distinguished from each other. In the present instance this is provided for by so disposing the impression ends of these tools that they will make their records in separate circular paths on the sheet 36. If desired the path for tool 37 may bear the legend Trouble or Danger and the path for tool 43 may bear the legend 0. K. or Safety. Both .paths may be marked Gate valves to distinguish the particular loop to which the records pertain. 48 and 49 are similar impression magnets respectively in the trouble and O. K. circuits associated with switch devices 30 and 47. 50 and 51 are similar impression magnets respectively in the trouble and O. K. circuits associated with switch devices 34 and 47.

It will be seen that the switch 47 may be operated at any time and without respect to a call from signal 3, it so desired, and that whenever this switch is operated a record will be made simultaneously of the condition, whether of trouble or O. K., of all the loops in the system, the time when such record is made being indicated on the impression sheet. Thus a complete and permanent daily record of the system may be made.

Contacts such as 20 and 32 may be termed signal transmitting devices because of their function in transmitting signals to the supervisors oliice, such signals being received by the bell 3 or by the recorder. Each loop, of course, will be provided with as many of these signal transmitting devices as the requirements dictate, the locations of such additional devices being indicated in the various loops by cross marks.

\Vhatl claim is: I

1. In a supervisory signaling system a normally closed supervisory circuit, an alarm circuit including an alarm, a recorder circuit including a recorder magnet and said alarm, means in said supervisory circuit responsive to a change in the condition of said circuit for closing said alarm circuit, and means common to both said recorder circuit and said alarm circuit for opening said alarm circuit and closing said recorder circuit.

2. In a supervisory signaling system a normally closed supervisory circuit, a trouble circuit, an O. K. circuit and a conductor common to both said circuits including an alarm, means in said supervisory circuit responsive to a change in the condition of said circuit for alternately closing said trouble and O. K. circuits to indicate trouble or O. K. condition of said supervisory circuit, a recorder including a trouble magnet and an O. K. magnet, a recorder circuit including a circuit for each magnet connected to said trouble and O. K. circuits respectively and said alarm circuit means common to said alarm circuit and to both said magnet circuits for opening said alarm circuit and closing said recorder circuit to record the condition of said supervisory circuit and means common to said trouble and O. K. ircuits and said alarm circuit for alternately connecting said circuits to said alarm whereby the alternate condition of said supervisory circuit may be indicated and recorded.

This specification signed this 14th day of September, A. D., 1918.

RICHARD M. HOPKINS. 

